11 Parents Reveal the *One* Thing They Regret Telling Their Kid

Remember that Sex and the City 2 scene where Charlotte's daughter ruined her Valentino skirt, and Charlotte locked herself in a closet so she wouldn't say something she'd later regret? (Who am I kidding, nobody saw Sex and the City 2, so of course you don't remember. But still. It happened.) Sometimes adults can't make it to the closet in time. A few brave souls on Reddit fessed up to those moments, and revealed why they regret opening their big mouths.

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1. Because her son totally called her bluff.

"When my son was three and an absolute terror, one time I pointed down a road that we never go down and said, 'That's the road the bad kids go.' When he would misbehave, I would say, 'Do we need to go down the bad kids road?' And he would instantly get in line. Until he didn't. Then I had to follow through with my threat, drive him down the bad kids road, and there was NOTHING THERE. He must have been five or six at the time, but even then the symbolism was not lost on him. Go down the bad kids road and nothing really happens." —estrogyn

2. Because he forgot kids are like parrots.

"One time, I told my four-year-old daughter that I was making Mommya cocktail because it would make her happy. Now every time my wife gets mad, the girl says, 'Mommy, you need a cocktail.'" —Fat_Panda_Sandoval

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3. Because now his son will despise any future siblings.

"I told my son that the Dummy Fairy came and took all his dummies away because he was too big for them now, and that the fairy would give them to new babies who need them. He was terrified that the fairy would take ALL of his stuff and give it away. He also was really angry at babies." —buythehammerofthor

4. Because two-year-olds are technological geniuses.

"I forgot how smart my daughter is. When she was two, she asked me for the code for my phone 'cause it went to sleep when she was playing some app I downloaded. I told her 1-2-3-4 cause it's the ultimate code. Anyway, she remembered it and was able to unlock my phone the next day and send numerous texts and make multiple phone calls without completely knowing what she was doing. No actual harm in any of that, except my phone wasn't on wifi [when] she found Netflix. She watched a couple of hundred bucks worth of Paw Patrol that day." —billbapapa

5. Because his daughter's afraid to ask questions.

"Just the other day, my four-year-old daughter was in her usual 100 questions per hour mode. It was morning and I'm not one who likes a lot of words before 10 a.m. and [I] said, 'Can you please stop asking questions, I don't have the answers for everything.' In a slightly sad and disappointed voice she said 'OK, Dad, I will stop asking questions." I immediately felt like shit and still do several days later. Mommy and I had a talk with her to remind her to keep asking questions, and I think she quickly forgot what I had said anyway...I hope." —MikeKM

6. Because his step-daughter didn't deserve it.

"When I was in the process of getting a divorce my wife was screaming at me like always. I was trying to sleep on the couch. My step-daughter said, 'For your first marriage, you are doing a great job of fucking it up Diego.' I said, 'With more practice I'll be as good at it as your family.' Everyone in her family had been divorced multiple times. She baited me and I took it and said something that I shouldn't." —diegojones4

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7. Because now her son might need a psychiatrist.

"Years ago, when our first son was around two-years-old, we would occasionally hang out in the garage. We had tons of toys that he could push around and enjoy. But anytime he happened to get too close to the street, we would press the car lock button, which would beep a couple times. We told him the car was mad that he was too close to the street. He would then haul arse back up the driveway yelling 'Car mad, car mad!!' I expect to pay psychiatrist bills due to this. Yes, yes, I do." —Kindredbond

8. Because he is now the butt of her jokes.

"My four-year-old daughter has already developed an intricate sense of humor that she already uses against me brutally. Being from a certain time and place I still, as a 'real adult,' tend to sag my pants quite often. When she sees me walking around the house with my ass hanging out she will pull her pants down to match and march around doing a little dance going, 'I'm Daddy, I'm Daddy.' It makes me laugh till I cry and then I pull my pants the f*ck up." —TooOldToDie81

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9. Because his son didn't understand the point.

"I don't remember exactly what I said, but my son was playing basketball at his school and had just made a basket, but he accidentally did it on the wrong side of the court and was humiliated. I said something smart-assy to try to lighten the mood but it totally backfired. My son turned away and burst into tears. I felt so low. I apologized but the damage was done. I regret it." —michihunt1

10. Because his advice didn't work out so well.

"I told my three-year-old, who completely trusted me, never to run from a dog or they will chase you. A 100-pound giant Rottweiler mix was charging at her at full speed, and she looked him in the eye and didn't budge. Bowled her over. He was friendly, just an idiot. I never got that level of trust from her again." —phurtive

11. Because now he is financially screwed.

"When my daughter was around eight, I told her that a lot of the words that Daddy used were grown-up words and that she shouldn't use them herself. Then she worked out what they were, and she said that I shouldn't use them either. I agreed, and in a fit of noble intention, agreed to the swear jar — a dollar a swear, to be paid on her 18th birthday. I owe my 16-year-old daughter about $14,500. She has kept meticulous records, including a signed agreement from the year 2009." —imnotsurethatsnotok

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